Hours melted away in Glenda's otherworldly library.
The crystalline green light of the Emerald Sun outside did not set, it merely shifted its angle, casting a long geometric shadows across the vast space of Emerald City.
Meanwhile under the basement, Jay worked without break, crossing the threshold from simple reading into comprehensive analysis. The knowledge flowed into his mind, not as lore or mythology, but as systematized, chaotic data points of the supernatural world. He didn't just read the words; he synthesized the underlying equations, tracing the hidden logic behind everything from demon pacts to fairy conceptualism.
A few crucial conclusions crystallized in Jay's mind, confirming the harsh reality of human limitations, a reality he was already expecting since he decided to take this path.
The first thing is human energy cap. Human potential for structured magic (Mana reserve) is fundamentally tied to internal biological energy, which he recognized as roughly equivalent to stamina. This is why human "Magical Reserves" are so laughably weak.
'We hit a biological ceiling defined by finite physical endurance. The engine is too small, and the fuel tank is always nearly empty' He thought with contempt. He remember when he lost conciousness after using True Cross just for a couple of minutes.
The second things, there is also another type of energy that human used which is Ki or Chakra. Humans can naturally tap into it and control it flow which is the art called Senjutsu or manifesting it into a physical state of Ki which is called Touki, but this method is fraught with danger. It requires the constant containment of negative emotions and the "malice" of raw ambient life forces from the environment. The resulting mental draining is far more taxing than simply burning through physical stamina.
" A fragile container for dangerous power" Jay mused. A quick path to insanity or corruption. Rejected.
The third thing, humans could, and often did, use the energy of other beings such as gods and spirits, especially before or during Merlin's time. But this method required a pact or ritual. Jay rejected this idea outright.
"Dependence is weakness, and in a sense pathetic." He already knew devils still offered contracts to humans in exchange for magic and he found the entire transactional practice despicable, a cosmic form of slavery.
Fourth thing, possessing a Sacred Gear or a Longinus in his case are vastly improved his energy reserve. It says that Sacred Gears do that by providing another type of external inherent energy from itself and integrated it with the human souls whom wields it, making it their own energy.
However, it still nothing compared to the likes of Devils which has tens times the amount of energy compared to humans. And the most absurd thing is they can improve it by some way, that's why there is Ranks and hierarchy there.
But now Jay knew he had magically superior reserves to most non-wielding humans, but it was still a mortal battery, destined to run dry.
And lastly, in its current state, human magic was too slow, too weak, and unreliable to him. Relying on precise calculations and slow formations (like the circle he drew), this was easily countered by some bullshit type of magic like Devil's magic which activated instantly by imagination and naturally replenished or even the gods from pantheon's magic which created from abstract concepts like belief.
' How do you even compete with that. ' He thought.
Jay concluded that for instantaneous combat, the Incinerate Anthem was still the more effective and sensible use of his life force.
"But I can't be dependent on only that," he muttered, rubbing the dark circles under his eyes.
The True Cross of Golgotha was his trump card, his annihilation state, but relying solely on a single, high-cost ability would make him utterly predictable. One-dimensional power is a critical tactical weakness especially he doesn't know what type of opponent he would be facing to achieve his goal.
Jay then started scribbling on a blank paper, listing magic types he deemed essential for survival and strategic advantage.
He immediately discarded direct elemental magic as offensively redundant. His flame already covered the need for destruction with far superior efficiency. Instead, he focused on filling the gaps in his capabilities.
Spatial Magic like Teleportation and Dimensional Storage is a high priority. This solved his logistical weaknesses and provided immediate battlefield mobility and escape potential. And also there multiple of use of spatial magic that he could think of which probably would immensely helped him in the future, like transporting enemies attack for example.
The second type of magic is Enchantment Magic as humans' biggest weakness is physical fragility. Enchantment could augment his body's capabilities, allowing him to survive the raw physical impacts of supernatural beings which is going to be multiple time stronger than humans. Though he doubt it can stop a serious attack from a beings like God or Devil King, it might let him live long enough to hit them back.
Now the last main priority is Sealing Magic, as he thought it would be a necessary countermeasure against anything that could fully neutralize or disarm his flame, or required absolute containment without destruction. Who said there wouldn't be a creature this vast supernatural world that can't be killed, heck are gods even able to get killed? That's one of his biggest question.
Another type of magic that he might learn in a side would be Healing Magic, Illusion Magic, and Summoning Magic. But since those three not as crucial as the first three, it wouldn't be his top priority.
But the magic that confused and captivated him the most are a single entry buried in a footnote of the conceptual magic texts, Fairy Magic. It was mentioned only once, but referred to as True Magic, a mystical creation of pure consciousness and self-referential concepts. It was an absurd, abstract field that he knew he wouldn't understand for years, but the concept of manipulating reality through consciousness alone rang a powerful, profound bell.
But after writing all the magics he want learn, he realized that It all came back to the energy cap. All that magic while it being Spatial, Enchantment, Sealing was useless if the engine was perpetually weak. He needed a way to overcome the limitation of a human life force.
He scribbled ideas, threw away concepts, and repeated the process of synthesis for hours, fueled only by stale air and cold resolve, until a connection sparked in his analytical mind, born from the synthesis of The Roots, Senjutsu texts, and physics principles.
"Wait… if the concept of Mana is a subtle weaving of various energies, and it is not purely life force… how about another readily available type of energy… Can it be converted into usable mana?" He muttered, racing his mind.
Suddenly, his eyes, dark-ringed with exhaustion, widened, and he sat bolt upright.
"The sun," he whispered, remembering the crystalline green light of the Emerald City, a fake one that illuminate the whole thing like a real one, giving life and energy.
'Thermal Energy!' He thought. His eyes widened.
He realized that there is a core flaw was revealed. The Incinerate Anthem was already a source of overwhelming, infinite-seeming heat, but it still consumed his life force to activate and maintain. That was the inefficiency, the human bottleneck. If he could separate the generation of thermal energy from the cost of his life force, in theory it could work.
Jay reframed the Incinerate Anthem in his mind, stripping away the symbolism of the destructive flame and focusing on its scientific output. It is in physical and magical sense produced thermal energy, not the True Cross as it is something far beyond that, but the Incenerate Anthem does.
Thermal energy is similar to internal energy born from motions such vibration, rotation, translation at the smallest scale. If heat is nothing more than ordered chaos at the atomic level, then its danger only comes from where that motion is allowed to propagate.
Jay idea was simple, Incinerate Anthem generated an extreme thermal gradient. If that energy could be intercepted before conduction, convection, or radiation reached his body or the surrounding environment. It could be conceptually processed and converted. Transformed from random microscopic motion into structured, usable magical output which is internal energy or Mana. Its in theory even able to strengthen his mortal body.
Humans using Senjutsu did something similar by refining ambient energy into life force, but their flaw was their mental instability. Jay envisioned using the Incinerate Anthem as a controlled thermal generator, siphoning its internal energy into a non-physical thaumaturgical framework where temperature increased vitality, converting heat into life force throughput, bypassing the biological ceiling that limited humans.
"In concept: infinite energy," he thought, a flat, cold vision settling in his core.
Thermal energy already obeyed conservation laws as it flowed, transformed, and dissipated. His plan simply changed its destination. If life force was just another expression of usable energy, then converting heat into it wasn't sacrilege. It was just exploiting the physics of this chaotic supernatural world.
"But still… How to make the heat generated from activating Incinerate Anthem an economically viable energy source, outweighing the energy needed to produce it, is the hard part," he reasoned. "And I need to learn Thaumaturgy, the study of mystical runes, to create a stable 'containment matrix' for that conversion."
He rapidly scribbled all his thoughts, diagrams of energy flow, and potential runic sequences into a detailed Proof of Concept on a fresh sheet of paper, naming its project The Anthem of Life. This was his plan to overcome the inherent disadvantages of his race.
As he was absorbed in detailing the complex conversion runes required, the main entrance door to the grand library suddenly opened, and the spell of silence was broken by the sound of expensive leather boots on stone.
"Kid! Are you forgetting that—"
Glenda stopped abruptly, her mouth half-open in a lecture she couldn't complete. She had expected to find him asleep or nervously pacing, not hunched over her priceless antique desk, which was now littered with complex magical texts, half-eaten bread scraps, and frantic scribbling.
Jay looked up, startled out of his concentration. "Ah, is it time? I'm sorry, I'm going there in a minute." He started gathering his messy work, quickly shuffling the papers that contained The Anthem of Life into his coat pocket. He didn't want Glenda to know the specifics of his concept, at least not anytime soon.
Glenda, however, ignored the time. Her gaze fixed on the state of her pristine antique desk. Blood rushed to her face, a mix of shock at his audacity and rage at the mess.
"Who told you that you were allowed to use my table, huh?!" she demanded, her voice high and sharp, echoing slightly in the vast room. "That desk is an artifact! It's centuries old!"
"I don't?," Jay replied calmly, standing up, his own focus still partially on the energy conversion equations in his mind.
Glenda's composure frayed. Her vein popped out, a vivid line beneath her smooth temple, but she caught herself, her gaze snagging on the other scattered papers. She picked up a sheet containing the rudimentary magic circle and the notes on the illumination spell from The Roots.
Glenda's beautiful eyes scanned the runes, realizing how technically perfect they were, far too intricate for a novice.
"You… you!" she sputtered, her voice catching. "Who told you to perform magic without my supervision?! Do you know what happens if you fail the activation sequence, kid? The energy would have rebounded and severely damaged your internal organs!" Glenda shook her head, exasperated.
'This is precisely why I hate kids' She thought, sighed.
" Fortunately, you haven't been able to complete it yet. Never do it again!" Glenda said, scolding him.
"But, I already did," Jay said, his expression placid and utterly sincere.
Before Glenda could fully register his words, a small, perfect flicker of red elemental fire. A structured, low-level output of the successful spell which clearly is not the purple of his Sacred Gear appeared on the edge of the paper she was holding, consuming the parchment instantly and turning it to harmless, odorless ashes.
Glenda's jaw dropped completely, staring at the empty air where the paper had been only a moment ago. She looked back at Jay, who stared back with his empty, dark-bagged eyes, wearing an expression of almost unwavering innocent confusion.
"What?" Jay asked, genuinely confused.